Disappearing Silver
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I didn't want to join them, but didn't have much of a choice once they caught wind about me. Stupid Cross. This is all your fault.
1. Chapter 1

**Wondered what would happen if something like Allen's scar was placed elsewhere.**

* * *

"So this is the next stop then?"

I gazed up at the entrance of the town from under the edge of my wide brimmed hat, but frowned. _It's midafternoon and yet not a soul wandering the streets._ My black trench coat brushed up slightly in the breeze as I stepped closer to the entrance. I just stood there in front of the opening for a moment and began sniffing the air. _Hm…sweet, like candied apple. It's innocence all right._

Not trusting the mysteriousness of the town, I pulled the huge sword off my back and moved it forward. The sword itself was as big and thick as I was, with rings going along the top of the sword that made a melodic sound as they hit each other. As I plunged it through the entrance it rippled like water, so I deemed it safe and replaced the weapon. With a mild sigh, I pulled my hat down further on my head and walked through the water-like substance to enter a town full of people; not one of them paying any attention to another traveler joining their midst.

Walking through the town, I began to follow my nose to where I assumed the sweet scent was coming from. It had been a while since I'd entered a town after my old master left me in the middle of nowhere in rural China. _Stupid Cross may have taught me many things about innocence, akuma, and my own capabilities, but he didn't have to knock me out and leave me there_. He'd found me not long ago after an incident and seemed to pretty pleased about my ability to sense akuma. To me they give off a different scent from normal people or innocence, for that matter. Innocence gives off a sickly sweet smell, while akuma give off a spicy or bitter smell. I try not to rely on it too much, but I cannot just turn off my sense of smell and sometimes I wonder if it truly is a curse, like my brother said.

 _No point in thinking about that now. I smell an akuma… a nasty one too. Smells like moldy bell peppers._ Running down the road, I followed the scent to an alleyway just as someone else walked in casually. He was an odd character; wearing black and silver robes and his arm seemed to transform when he rounded the corner. What was really weird about him though, was his scent. _It's like sweet and sour chicken. A little bit of both._

Staying just around the corner, I hid myself from sight to see what this kid was going to do. He was obviously an exorcist as I myself should be, but it seemed more interesting to watch than to join him. _Maybe I will be able to learn a bit more about this Black Order that Master mentioned, seeing how he hates the place and never talked about it much._ He didn't take very long at all and finished off the akuma almost instantly, but he apparently didn't notice the woman who had ran out just before he finished.

 _She gave off a slightly sweet smell as well. She may be connected to the innocence, so I should keep an eye on her and this exorcist. He seemed interesting, although I shouldn't give myself away just yet._ I smirked and headed towards an inn to stay in for the night. I didn't have much money, but I should be able to afford a night and maybe a drink later. So, I wandered off and blended into the crowd despite my odd attire and large weapon. After all, disappearing acts were my specialty.

* * *

The next day around noon, I headed to a small pub and sat on a bar stool to gather some information. Miranda Lotto. Age twenty-six and had been known to lose every job she gets. She was disliked by most of the town and seemed a little… off at times. It wasn't much but, before I could get any more information, the same exorcist from before walked in and joined another sitting at a table not far away. Unknown to them, Miranda was sitting behind them trying to stay hidden with a blanket over her head.

I mentally chuckled and took a sip of my drink while keeping a close eye on the three of them. Both exorcists seemed like decent enough people though. One, facing my direction, was a young woman with black hair pulled up in twin ponytails. She smelled kind of like cotton candy. The other, was the kid I saw before only I wasn't able to see his snow white hair earlier. It caught me a bit off guard as I thought about my own silver hair that was hidden beneath my hat. _Mine's a bit shorter than his, but he doesn't have the long black ponytail that I do. Damn Cross made me grow it out. The stupid pervert. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I need to have long hair._

"AHHH! This is the person Lenalee!"

I snapped out of my thoughts, snickering to myself as the woman tried to dash out the window to escape the boy, when four men took their seats at the other end of the bar. _Rotten fish, vinegar, jalapeños, and boiled eggs. They're akuma, but I wonder when the exorcists will notice. The white haired kid seems to have good senses._ Continuing to drink nonchalantly, I stayed in my corner of the bar when the kid stood and confronted the men as they became level 2 akuma.

Everyone aside from myself and the white haired kid left as he jumped through the air and attacked the akuma. Using my sword as a shield against the debris, I observed as the boy defeated one akuma only for another to scream with a voice that attacked even my ears. My head ached and I lowered my sword for a second to cover my ears, watching still as the kid was hit in the arm by an akuma with blue flames.

"Ice fire! It's hotter than fire. Even if you just touch it a little bit, it will rot your flesh."

"I want to cut him to pieces!"

"No, no. I'm going to use my voice. It's more fun to watch his head explode."

I was thinking about getting up and helping, since my outfit hid my identity, but I didn't need to since the three akuma began playing rock, paper, scissors. _Idiots. Like he's just going to sit there while you decide._ Sure enough, the kid's arm transformed into another form and he shot at the three. It certainly pissed them off, but they suddenly froze mid attack and a voice echoed off the walls.

"Looks like you guys are having too much fun. Aren't you forgetting something? Your job was to retrieve the innocence, not to fight the exorcist. Return to me now."

The three shot out of the building and I scowled at the ceiling, wondering just what could have so much control over them aside from the Millennium Earl. Not a moment later Lenalee returned and hurried the boy, Allen, out to go speak with Miranda. I casually finished off my drink, surrounded by rubble and what was left of the pub, and left without paying before following the two of them to Miranda's house.

 _If the two exorcists are following her, then she has to be the one with the innocence. I would assume she's an accommodator though, since she too has that sweet scent._ Leaning up against the wall, placing my sword next to me, I got settled in for the night to keep watch. You can imagine my face when clocks appeared all over the town and it was suddenly morning. No? Well, okay. It wasn't very amusing anyway. If anything, I was frowning for not getting any sleep. I _did_ , on the other hand, notice that the clocks reversed time and retreated into the building where Miranda was staying.

I groaned and replaced my sword, standing and stretching before following the exorcists around for the day. _Geeze, I feel like a stalker, but that Allen kid has some major juggling skills._ Nodding slightly in approval, I stayed out of sight until a harsh scent hit my nose. Disgustingly sweet and horribly sour, like dunking a lemon into liquidized sugar. I tried to locate the source of the scent, but it had my mind so frazzled that I couldn't focus on it completely and was distracted by the smell of jalapeños that was above me. I recognized it as one of the four akuma from before and when I saw the exorcists following after it I cursed and hurried towards Miranda. They were falling for a trap and the akuma must have the purpose of taking them away from Miranda. _But akuma wouldn't be able to come up with a plan like that! Someone else is behind all of this!_ Standing before Miranda, I knelt down and grabbed her hand.

"You need to come with me, Miranda. You're not safe here."

"W-Who—"

"We don't have time! Please, you have to trust me!"

She hesitated, but allowed me to help her up. I hurried and began taking her towards where Allen and Lenalee had headed, when a young girl holding a lollipop and an umbrella stepped in front of us. That horrid scent hit me again and I growled at the kid as she spoke.

"So your clock is the innocence? Oh~ And it seems you've found yet another friend. Tell me, who are you?"

"Doesn't matter. Miranda, stay behind me."

I didn't have to tell her before she was cowering behind me as I pulled out my sword and leveled it with the young girl's face. She merely smiled, as though amused.

"Hm~ Seems you're a bit smarter than the other two exorcists… too bad it won't last. I'll be sure to have some fun with you first though."

I stood my ground and remained unresponsive, which must have really angered her because she was soon attacking with a vengeance and I could barely keep up. Her umbrella being used as a sword really annoyed me though, with its constant chatter.

"Ah! What are you doing, lero?! I'm not a sword!"

Unfortunately, the umbrella was a distraction and I wasn't prepared at all for the dirt she kicked up in my eyes nor the candles that had appeared out of nowhere and attacked me from all directions. I struggled to rise from my knees after being hit multiple times and that was all the time she needed for her to knock me out with an attack from the rotten fish smelling akuma who'd snuck up behind me. My vision fogged from the brain crushing sound it emitted and I could just barely register the warm liquid dripping from my ears and Miranda's yell before I hit the ground.

* * *

 _Ugh, my head's killing me._

I went to put my hand to my head, but was met with a sharp pain instead. I winced and tilted my head back to look around the rim of my hat, finding my arms pinned to the wall behind me. Looking around, I took in my surroundings as I searched for my sword, missing the usual weight on my back. _What is this? Another dimension?_ The whole place was covered in stuffed animals, dolls, toys, presents, and candles. It was also extremely colorful and made me think of a candy store.

"Ah! I see your other friend's awake as well."

I swiftly turned my head and spotted the young girl from before walking towards me. _That's right. I tried to help out and was attacked from behind thanks to her dirty trick. Looks like the other exorcists are here as well, but they're in horrible shape._ I scowled as the girl hugged me around the neck; her scent overpowering and aggravating my sensitive nose. She lifted the rim of my hat a bit and locked eyes with me with a sickening smile.

"Oh~ Your eyes are a lovely shade of red and the scar across your nose is divine… but I don't like that look you have. I want to see your eyes full of fear."

Something sharp plunged into my stomach and I grit my teeth in an attempt to keep from screaming. She frowned seeing the determination in my eyes and twisted the candle further into me. Suddenly, someone yelled out from across the room.

"Stop it! We don't even know him! Leave him out of this!"

She pulled the candle out and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my sword that was leaning up against the ornate chair that Lenalee was sitting in. _Come on. Come on. I'd rather not resort to my other option._ Slowly, the sword began shivering and quaking as the girl spoke with Allen.

"You're not an akuma. What are you?"

"I'm a human. What's with that face? Humans can't be friends with akuma?"

"Akuma… are weapons made by the Earl to kill humans… They target humans."

"There are human weapons that are made to kill other humans, aren't there? The Millennium Earl is my brother. We are the chosen ones. You exorcists don't know anything, do you? You are the chosen ones of a false God. We are the true apostles chosen by God. The Noah Family."

Of course, before the conversation could get more interesting, that umbrella interrupted.

"Shhhhhh! Mistress Road, shhh! You're not supposed to talk about the family with outsiders, lero!"

 _Road, huh. Seems like a spoiled brat to me._ I heard a yell and the sickening sound of flesh tearing as Allen ripped his innocence arm off the wall. He was injured beyond belief and yet, he still had enough energy to threaten Road. His innocence stopped inches from taking off Road's head and I shouted from across the room.

"Idiot! Don't hesitate!"

He stared at me in shock and confusion as Road grabbed his arm and killed herself. I stared in shock when she just got back up off the floor and her face regenerated. I saw her pull out a candle from behind her back and she suddenly thrust it into Allen's eye.

"Allen!"

I glared and focused all my energy on freeing my hands and calling my sword. Ripping my hands off the spikes, my sword flew in my direction and I caught it with ease before standing. Allen was already up and began charging at Road, only for those three akuma to show up again. There was no way I was just going to watch this time, so I was there in an instant, using my sword to block as much of the attack as I could.

"Hey, you okay?"

"W-Why?"

I went to respond, but Miranda called out suddenly and Allen and I rushed over and protected her from the hundreds of candles. Grabbing my sword, I lifted it up shakily and tore the vines that held Miranda captive. I would have laughed at her scrambling away if we were in better circumstances, but I was losing energy fast.

"Allen?… O-Other guy… Don't… Don't die… Please…"

The two of us turned our heads and Allen smiled.

"It-It's all right."

"I'm tougher than I look."

She hurried over when the three akuma converged towards us and hugged Allen to protect him. She was delirious and freaking out, but the sweet smell she had increased tenfold. _Hm, dandelions? Fitting. Always thought of as a weed but beautiful in its own way after it blooms._ A glow surrounded the three of us and she glanced at the grandfather clock behind her before turning back to me like I knew what was going on.

"It's your innocence, Miranda… Take care of Allen for me. I'm going to try and get Lenalee and maybe buy you some time."

"B-But your injuries!"

Bringing one hand to my major wounds, it glowed and I was slowly able to stop the bleeding before lifting my heavy sword off the ground.

"What injuries?"

I smiled, probably the only part of my face she could see due to my hat, and walked out of the circle of light. The end of my sword dragged on the ground, creating sparks as I stepped up to the akuma and Road who seemed surprised at my sudden recovery. I didn't waste a second before I charged, lifting my sword off the ground in the last possible moment and managing to scratch Road across the cheek.

"Mistress Road!"

I dodged the attacks from the other akuma, swinging out my large sword as though it weighed no more than a feather. The rings clinking together and played out a song for my ears to enjoy as I weaved through the three akuma and landed another hit to Road. The small marks regenerated quickly but I was beginning to anger her, which only made the next moment more enjoyable as Allen sliced off the arm of one akuma and stole Lenalee right out from under Road.

"His wounds have healed."

"Best not to get distracted, Road!"

I swung my sword down only for it to collide with that stupid umbrella again.

"Ah! It hurts, lero!"

The wind suddenly picked up and I was distracted for but a moment, allowing Road to hit me hard in my stomach and send me hurtling into the tornado that just came out of Miranda's clock dome. Someone caught me, luckily, and I glanced down to see Allen's innocence arm wrapped around my torso.

"Nice catch."

"Um… Thanks, I guess."

He released me as the tornado dissipated and Lenalee stepped forward cautiously.

"Allen? Who's that child?… And him? Akuma?"

"…No. They're both human… I think."

He gave me an odd glance and I nodded to reassure him.

"A-L-L-E-N. Allen Walker, 'the one who can see the souls of akuma'."

I glanced between Road and Allen, noticing the frighteningly familiar red scar that went across his eye. _A curse._ I glared at Road and clenched my sword tighter as she continued to speak with Allen.

"You became an exorcist to save the souls of akuma, right?… Because you were cursed by your beloved father. So I decided, if I was going to get involved with anyone, it would be you."

I wasn't sure where she was going with this until she told one of the akuma to self-destruct. I fidgeted, knowing what was going to happen but debating on whether or not to allow it to happen. _It would be one less akuma to fight, but what does she have planned?_

"You know, if you break an akuma without using innocence to destroy it… for instance, if you force it to self-destruct, the akuma's soul will disappear into dark matter. Did you know that?… And then you can't save it, right?!"

Allen began freaking out and rushed headlong towards the akuma as it was about to explode. _Idiot!_ I charged after him and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him back as the akuma exploded, and covering him with my body. He glared at me, clutching his akuma seeing eye in pain as it bled, and began yelling as Lenalee hurried over.

"Damn… Why did you stop me?!"

Lenalee looked about ready to slap him senseless, but I pulled him up to his feet by his collar and brought him close enough to see the anger in my crimson eyes. My eyes always unnerved people, which is why I keep them hidden under my hat, but now was an exception.

"Why? An exorcist is made to destroy hundreds of thousands of akuma while saving their souls and the souls of the people endangered by them. One human soul is nothing compared to the millions that could be lost because you were too big-headed to think about the consequences of wasting your life! Don't give up your life just for the sake of your pride!"

I threw him to the ground as the two of them stared at me amazed, until Road started laughing.

"Great, great! Running headfirst into an explosion?! You're even more amusing than I expected… but are you sure it's all right? That woman over there—"

We all turned our gazes to Miranda's clock dome and spotted the akuma throwing attacks at it. Allen jumped in first, stopping its wind attack. Then Lenalee kicked it, but not hard enough to destroy it so I sliced it clean in half.

"You destroyed it! Well, let's call it quits for now. It was much more fun than I expected."

A checkered, heart-shaped door appeared from the ground as she said her farewells and I stood back as Allen placed the barrel of his gun to the back of her head. I felt the need to give him a chance to kill her, but he couldn't do it so I threw my sword straight at the door. It sliced off an end of Allen's hair and only managed to embed itself into the door before it disappeared and my sword clattered to the ground. Allen gave me a scared look, but I didn't care. _The idiot had it coming._

I strolled over and put the sword on my back just as the dimension began falling apart and the four of us fell through the bottom of a present. The moment we landed, I found myself in an unrecognizable room sitting on a bed while Allen was on the floor.

"This place… it's Miranda's apartment…"

"Is that where this is?"

He looked over at me surprised before growing serious.

"I think it's time you gave us some answers. Who are you? You remind me of someone."

"Hn, hn. Merely an ally but for now, you may call me Silver."

He was about to ask more questions, but Lenalee's voice shouted from another area of the room.

"Allen! There's something wrong with Miranda!"

He rushed out of the room, while I took my time to stand up and check on my wounds. I may have stopped the blood flow, but I could only hold that for so long before I needed to release it. _I have maybe an hour left. Hopefully it lasts._ Standing just around the corner, I mentally groaned at the scene before me. _I was never one for the sappy moments._

"Stop it Miranda. It's because of you that we're here now. That is more than enough. I'll bare my own injuries. As long as I live, I'll be able to recover."

"That's right, Miranda. Please stop…"

The woman was bawling, but stopped her innocence and the wounds on the two exorcists returned. They both passed out and Miranda began scrambling around the room trying to figure out what to do before I stopped her.

"Miranda… Miranda!"

"Ah! You!"

"Do you have a first aid kit?" She nodded. "Bring it here and I'll see what I can do about their wounds. Then hurry and find a doctor and there should be a finder outside from the Black Order. Find him after you call the doctor."

She quickly ran off and gave me the box before dashing out the door. With the limited tools I had, I was able to stop some of the more dangerous bleeding and most of the smaller things before I ran out of energy. My own wounds reopened and I struggled to wrap myself, but I managed and quickly wrote a note to Miranda before leaving the apartment and heading out of the town.

 _Don't worry Allen. We'll meet again soon._

* * *

"A young man in a black trench coat?"

"Yeah. I don't know who he is or anything. He just said to call him Silver."

"Hm, that is odd."

Komui kept a straight face as he brought a hand to his chin in thought, while Lavi gave Bookman odd glances.

"Do you know anything, Bookman?"

"Hm, no. Is there any more information you could give me?"

Allen and Lenalee turned to each other before giving their own accounts of what they knew.

"Well, he carried a large sword, as big as himself, with rings going along the top that chimed together as he fought."

"He was pretty skilled in battle too. He managed to keep the three akuma as well as the Noah occupied while Miranda healed us."

"Then, as far as appearance wise, he kept himself hidden."

"Yeah. We never even noticed when he entered the town or how he knew our names or anything."

"Anything else? Every detail could help."

Allen fidgeted a bit, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced out the window.

"A-Actually, he had long black hair tied off in a low ponytail and… red eyes."

"Red eyes?"

Allen nodded as Bookman frowned. He had never heard of anyone with red eyes, let alone seen one that was also an exorcist. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it sounded.

"Hey, Allen. I was wondering… how did he stop his bleeding? I mean, he was probably just as bad off as you and I, but he never went to Miranda for healing."

That got everyone's attention and, as Allen thought about it, Bookman became more eager to learn about this Silver exorcist.

"I'm not sure. When I was trying to stay awake, I saw him put his hand over his wounds and suddenly he was standing up and the bleeding had stopped. That, and Miranda said in her note that he had stopped most of our bleeding before she returned with the doctor and he had disappeared. He actually reminded me of Master a bit, but maybe it was the hat he wore."

"It's possible that he has or had a connection to General Cross… but what concerns me is why he has not been noticed until now. Someone with that appearance surely should have been seen."

"Well, no matter! It is highly likely that we will meet him again at some point and, for now, we shall have finders and other exorcists on the lookout."

They all seemed to accept that, but little did they know that they would see him sooner than expected.


	2. Chapter 2

Adjusting the bag over my shoulder, I cracked my knuckles and neck as I sized up the cliff. _There's probably another way in, but I've been traveling for weeks now and I really don't feel like searching this whole thing for some secret entrance._ Dressed in a white button up shirt with black pants tucked into my boots, I made sure my usual attire was safely stowed away in my bag and the bandages on my hands and arms were tight before I began my climb.

"Holy… crap!… I'm outta… shape."

Finally reaching the top of the cliff I collapsed with a groan, thankful that I had made my large sword into its smaller dagger form before the climb. My arms were aching and some of my bandages were torn. My old stomach wound ached slightly at the strain as well as my back, but if I thought rock climbing was hard before, it's even harder partially blindfolded.

The red cloth around my head was thin enough that I could partially see, but it was also the only way to keep the locals from the town nearby from running me out. My usual trench coat and hat outfit would also draw too much attention, now that Allen and Lenalee have already seen me. _It's probably thanks to them that I had to run away from the finders at the last town._

Rolling over on the ground, I forced myself up and began walking to the door of the one and only Black Order. I'd finally decided to head here for multiple reasons. First off, I was running low on cash and had absolutely no way of earning more without resorting to Cross's form of money making; gambling. Second, it was the last thing Cross told me to do before he disappeared. That, and I had a couple innocence that I was carrying that really needed to give to someone before I was killed off by akuma. It's harder to disappear when they can sense the innocence I had. As I stepped up to the gate, I introduced myself.

"I'm Yin Tatum and a Mr. Komui should have received a letter a while back about my coming here from Master Cross."

There was a bit of shuffling over the golem before a voice spoke, saying something about taking a gatekeeper examination while they search for the letter. The tiki shaped door guard pulled away from the wall and began scanning me.

"X-ray examination. Determining whether subject is akuma or not… Negative! He's an akuma! A servant of the Earl!"

I stood, unamused even as the statue began freaking out. Calmly, I waited for the voice to come back over the speaker to announce that the letter has been found when I heard a muffled sound coming from the speaker, but I couldn't hear it due to the wailing of the gatekeeper. Scowling, I pulled out a huge scimitar and pointed the end at the statue without turning my head away from the golem.

"Shut up. I can't hear what's being said."

He immediately went silent and I lowered my weapon, replacing it on the cloth sheath around my hip. Able to hear the voice over the speaker now, I turned towards the gate and began walking.

"Open the gates! We will allow you to pass, Yin Tatum."

There at the entrance, was none other than Lenalee with a smile on her face. The gates closed behind me and Lenalee stepped forward and took my hand to shake it.

"Nice to meet you, Yin. I'm Lenalee, the assistant to the supervisor and I'll be the one taking you to him."

"Nice to meet you as well."

She continued to hold my hand and drag me around the building to point out different rooms talking about the Order, but stopped at one point.

"If you want, I'll send someone to your room to pick you up for breakfast until you get used to the building."

"I appreciate the thought, but I should be able to get around on my own. Thanks."

She seemed surprised, probably assuming that whatever my innocence was it allowed me to 'see' in some way, but she smiled anyway as she opened the door to the supervisor's office. The room was a mess with papers and books stacked haphazardly all over the place as well as men running back and forth from one side of the room to another. At one side of the room though, was a slightly cleaner desk and couch where Allen was yelling at the supervisor.

"What do you mean another pupil?! I was the only pupil Master Cross had as far as I know!"

"Well, he sent a letter stating that this was another pupil of his. Not only that, but he seems to be cursed as well. Either that, or he really is an akuma."

"Actually…" I stepped up to the desk next to Allen. "I _am_ cursed."

I pointed to the long red scar that went from one cheek to the other, across my nose, and to my right ear; where the pentacle was. Jumping up, Komui hurried over and got into my personal space and it took everything I had not to recoil and give away that I wasn't blind.

"Oh. Interesting. Seems Cross has some luck to be finding such similar people. It's nice to meet you, Yin Tatum. I am supervisor Komui Lee."

He shook my hand and began taking me out of the room with Lenalee and Allen following closely behind. It wasn't long before we stopped in a room that appeared to be an infirmary. Komui helped me sit on a wooden stool then asked me to put my innocence on the table. When I frowned, the three of them made worried faces.

"What's wrong?"

"I'd rather not show my innocence."

"Why not? You already showed it to us earlier."

I rolled my eyes behind the cloth.

"No I didn't. That was merely an innocence I've discovered on my travels."

"Travels?"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Mr. Komui. You don't know when that letter was sent to you, do you?"

"Actually, I have a good reason for that."

"Uh-huh. Well, that letter was sent to you nearly a year ago. I've been traveling from China and personally had no real reason to really come here until not too long ago."

"I see. Well, in that case, let us go see Hevlaska so you can give her the innocence you have collected as well as get your own evaluated."

Nodding, it wasn't long before we were on a moving platform and the three of them began asking questions.

"So you were with my Master as well? For how long? I haven't seen you before."

"I was only with him for a few years although he did mention you a few times. Not in a pleasant way either."

Allen drooped his head, in a small depression, as Lenalee asked the next question.

"Yin, you said you traveled. What other places have you been to?"

"Pretty much anywhere between here and China."

"Now, Yin, would you perchance be willing to tell us what type of innocence you have?"

"Equipment… and parasitic." _Although, I wonder if it really is parasitic since it's my blood._

"Two?!"

I nodded, bored almost, just as we reached the bottom. Five men in chairs sat above us and said something about innocence, but I could care less and just wanted to get this over with. The smells from the innocence I had were really starting to irritate me. Suddenly, tentacles grabbed me and I went to fight back as Allen shouted to me from the platform, which was slowly getting further and further away.

"Relax! She's not going to hurt you!"

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to relax as the white tentacles began to probe me. It felt odd, but I felt I could trust Allen on this one.

"Hm, you have many innocence on you. Let me take the ones you have collected."

The scimitar at my side, a pistol in my pocket, and two plain innocence were absorbed into her and she thanked me.

"The innocence and I appreciate what you have done. Now I will calculate your synchronization rate with your innocence." Placing her head against mine, she began to count as a light surrounded us. "It is rare for one to have two innocence, but I shall calculate both. The first, equipment type… 3%… 25%… 47%… 88%. The second, a parasitic type… 5%… 21%… 36%… 52%."

Bringing me away from her head, she set me down on the platform and proceeded to speak with me.

"Yin Tatum… You will become a seeker of both, time and truth. While one innocence will be your guard against time, the other will try to keep you from the truth. But both must be used in order to assist the destroyer. That is what I have felt."

I bowed to the creature and thanked her before Komui started talking to me and the platform moved up again.

"Seeker of Time and Truth huh? A very interesting prophecy indeed. I wonder what you and the Destroyer of Time could do when put together, eh Allen?"

He winked at Allen with a laugh and soon we were brought back up to the surface. Then, Komui apologized as a man named Reever came to drag him back to the office to go do more paperwork and I was left with Allen and Lenalee on our way to the cafeteria; I was starving.

"So, Yin, how do you like it so far?"

"It's okay, I guess. It all depends on how good the food is if you ask me."

I brought a finger to my mouth and barely noticed the drool dripping down my chin at the thought of what food I could have.

"Ahaha! You sound just like Allen!"

Allen shrugged carelessly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I guess that's true. I do eat a lot… but you won't be disappointed, Yin! Jerry makes the best food. Whatever you want too!"

I grinned until we stepped into the room and many different scents hit me at once. _Oh God… apples, pie, cake, chocolate, tulips, pudding, mango… too many exorcists._ I stopped to lean against the doorway while Allen and Lenalee started walking ahead. They must have noticed I was gone though, since they came back and Lenalee's hand rested on my forehead.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You look a bit pale."

"Hold on. I just need a moment."

I left the doorway and slid down the wall outside, taking deep breaths of the clean, exorcist free, air. My head was killing me after that assault on my senses and I rubbed my temples to try and ease the pain.

"Hey, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just too many scents."

"Scents?"

"Yeah. My curse… because it's across my nose, I'm able to smell differently than other people. It never made much sense to me, but akuma smell sour, bitter, or spicy while innocence and exorcists smell sweet; like flowers, desserts, or fruits. There were just way too many smells in that room and my senses overloaded for a moment."

They nodded, seeming to understand, before I stood up and headed back towards the door, surprising them.

"Wait, are you sure you want to go back in there?"

"Yeah. We can just bring the food to your room, if you want."

"It's fine. I can't avoid it forever and it'll only take a few days to get used to the smell. More importantly I haven't eaten for days, thanks to my lack of funds, I'm _really_ hungry."

My stomach growled, as though to prove my point, and the two of them smiled as we headed up to order. The man in the kitchen seemed like a nice enough guy. He was fairly dark skinned and had his hair tied in dreadlocks. When he spotted Allen, he immediately set down the huge frying pan and came to the window.

"Allen! My favorite customer~ It's nice to see you again. Oh? Is this the new exorcist everyone's talking about?"

"Nice to see you again too, Jerry, and this is Yin Tatum. We're here to order some food before we show him around the building some more."

"Of course! It's nice to meet you, Yin. What would you like?"

I had to think about it for a minute. _Allen said he'd make anything I want. In that case…_

"I'll have t-bone steak with mashed potatoes and gravy with green beans. A double cheese burger with curly fries. A foot-long deli sandwich with roast beef, American cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, mayo and mustard. A chicken quesadilla, five tacos, five seven layer burritos with a side of fried rice. A plate of spaghetti and three bowls of nabeyaki udon. For dessert, I want raspberry cheesecake, a strawberry sundae, vanilla custard, and huge bowl of green tea ice cream."

Jerry blinked once before he started laughing loudly. I tilted my head to the side in confusion when he stopped and picked up his large pan.

"You've got Allen's stomach, I see! It'll be ready in a moment. Allen, Lenalee, what do you two want?"

The two of them gave Jerry their orders and it wasn't long before the three of us were taking our huge stacks of food (and Lenalee's small tray) over to a table where a red head was waving to us. We sat across from him and, before I could chow down, the red head grabbed my hand and began shaking it.

"You must be the new guy, right? I'm Bookman Jr. but you can call me Lavi. Seems you have the same appetite as Allen. You a parasitic type?"

I nodded, turning back to my food and stuffing my face full of steak and potatoes. The food was absolutely delicious and the smell for it was powerful enough to block out the scents of the exorcists. That is, except Lavi's. _Vanilla. Pretty unique and quite unexpected. I was thinking he'd be something more like cherries._

"Hello?~"

I stopped eating my ice cream, leaving the spoon of sugary goodness in my mouth as turned my head to Lavi.

"Hm?"

"Haha! Too focused on your food to pay attention, eh? Well, Allen here says you can smell innocence. What do I smell like?"

Scooping the last spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, I used the spoon to point in his direction.

"Vanilla. Not like straight vanilla, more like… vanilla ice cream."

He smiled brightly and pulled Allen over to his side, poking him in the head repeatedly with his finger.

"What about Allen?"

"Sweet and sour chicken."

"Lenalee?"

"Cotton candy."

"Wow! That's some nose you have there! One more question… You're not blind, are you?"

I didn't move a muscle as Lenalee hit him upside the head and began lecturing him. It was an amusing scene. Lenalee lecturing him and Allen trying to calm her down. _Almost like squabbling siblings._ A flash of my brother's face passed before my eyes and I shook my head to relieve myself of the haunting image.

"See what you did?! You upset him!"

I waved my hand in front of me with a fake smile on my face.

"No, no! I'm not upset. He's actually right." The three of them stared at me in shock as I continued. "You see, my eyes… _bother_ people. I've been kicked out of quite a few towns because of them, so I decided to keep them covered. The cloth I'm wearing is thin enough that I can partially see through it, so I don't have the problem of getting around."

"Whoa. That's rough."

I shrugged and got rid of my dishes along with the others. Heading out of the cafeteria with full stomachs, Lavi said something about showing me the training rooms so that's where we were headed.

"The training rooms are open at all times to whomever, but try to share them with the others."

Walking up to one of the rooms, we were greeted with the sight of a long haired male swinging a Japanese katana with ease. I admired his form and speed until Lavi ruined it by shouting out to him.

"Yu!~"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"But Yu, we wanted to introduce you to the newest exorcist. Yin Tatum."

He turned to me and scowled, turning back to Lavi with a glare on his face. "I don't care. He's probably just another idiot like the bean sprout."

"It's Allen! How many times do I have to tell you Bakanda!"

The two were murdering each other with their glares and the atmosphere in the room grew tense. Leave it to Lavi to break the ice.

"Oh hey, Yin! What's Kanda smell like?"

"What?"

Kanda broke gazes with Allen, who smirked and looked at me curiously as Lavi explained.

"Yeah. Yin here has a curse, like Allen, only his curse gives him the ability to smell akuma and innocence. He said I smell like vanilla, Allen like sweet and sour chicken, and Lenalee like cotton candy. I just want to know what you smell like!"

He grinned as bright as ever, despite the man who stood behind him wanting to kill him. Regrettably, I got closer to Kanda and sniffed the air. _Uh oh. Lavi's gonna have a field day with this one._

"Roses."

There was a snort from Lavi before him and Allen doubled over laughing; Lenalee giggling off to the side. I was about to say something, but had to duck and flip backwards to dodge the sword aimed to kill me. Seems Kanda didn't like my response and felt that running me through with his sword would fix everything, so I continuously dodged strike after strike.

"Ah! Kanda! What are you doing?!"

"Shut up, bean sprout! And you! Stop moving around, you pest!"

"If I were to stop, I would only end up with another wound so… I'd rather not."

He growled and I soon found myself backed into a corner. _Crap. I should've observed my surroundings better._ He seemed to notice that I was trapped and he swung his sword to strike me down with a grin as Allen shouted out.

"Yin!"

A metallic clang rang out as Kanda's sword collided with a short dagger I'd pulled out to block the attack inches from my face. The small rings on my blade jingled slightly as I held back the attack.

"That was a close one. You have good sword skills, Kanda."

"Che."

He scowled again and swung the sword again, which I managed to dodge. The two of us fought hard and I was oblivious to the conversation Allen and Lavi were having.

"Shouldn't we stop them?"

"Nah. They're having fun."

Allen looked over at the two of us wonder what part of this Lavi saw as fun.

"If you say so, but there's something familiar about the way he fights and that dagger too. Lenalee, what do you think?"

"Hm. It almost looks like the sword Silver had, doesn't it?"

"Wait, isn't Yin—"

I was suddenly shoved up against the wall, hard and a sword embedded itself right next to my head. My eyes widened as the thin red cloth fell from my face, exposing my crimson eyes. Kanda pulled his weapon from the wall and stared stunned at my eyes as the others ran over. _Whoops. I got found out sooner than expected._

"Yin… You're Silver?"

I stood up and nodded. "Yup. Although I thought I could hide it a bit longer, but I'm not used to using this form in combat."

Taking my dagger, I held it sideways and focused my energy on it. The weapon glowed for a moment before it elongated to its original size and I spun it in a few quick sweeping arcs to get used to the weight again.

"That's better." I said with a grin as they stared at me astounded, aside from Kanda who turned to leave. "Ah! Kanda! I look forward to fighting with you again!"

He stopped in the doorway and 'che'-ed before leaving with a sweep of his exorcist coat. It was then, that Lavi came over to inspect my sword while Allen and Lenalee bugged me with questions.

"Why did you hide your identity from us, Yin?"

"And, if that was you before, why didn't you just return with us instead of leaving?"

"I hid my identity because my white and black hair catches a lot of attention and, as I said before, my eyes unnerve people. As for the other question, I didn't return with you guys because I would get asked a bunch of questions that I'd rather not answer. Which apparently didn't help to begin with thanks to you two telling the Order about me. I've had to get away from quite a few finders and that's hard to do with the wounds I had."

Lenalee and Allen looked ashamed for blabbing about me, when Allen seemed to realize something.

"That's right! Your wounds! How were you able to stop them from bleeding before? And you helped heal us as well, how?"

"My father was a skilled doctor and I learned quite a few things from him, being the child who always got hurt. And I was able to stop the bleeding thanks to my parasitic type innocence. I could only hold it for a certain amount of time though, and it takes up a lot of energy so I avoid using it unless I really need to."

There was a clatter and the three of us turned around to see Lavi on the floor with my sword fallen on top of him. The only part of him you could see was his head as he struggled to get the sword off him.

"Yin! Get this thing off me!"

I gladly picked it up with ease and smiled at Lavi as he gasped for air. Sitting up, he pointed at the sword like it was contaminated.

"That thing is heavy!"

"Yeah, and unlike other equipment weapons I've found with innocence, it doesn't change its weight at all unless I put it in dagger form."

"Seriously?! You don't even look that strong!"

Allen came over and gave Lavi a look. "It can't be that heavy, Lavi. Let me try."

I handed the sword over and he struggled to hold it upright. Even when he used his innocence to pick it up, he could barely lift it off the ground, let alone swing it. My smile returned and I took the weapon back, swinging it around with no problem. I had only gotten this sword a few years ago when I was with my brother, but I was a very diligent person and I trained with the sword constantly.

"So, about the rest of that tour?"

"Actually, I think we should go see my brother. I'm sure he has some questions for you."

I sighed at Lenalee, dropping my head submissively.

"I was hoping to avoid that, but I don't really have a choice, now do I?"

She smiled and shook her head as I followed her to my doom.

The talk with Komui wasn't too bad actually. He simply asked a couple of questions about my weapons and why I didn't go straight to the Order, so I was soon on my way to my room in order to get some rest. I was exhausted.

Giving out a big yawn with a stretch, I walked into my room and tossed my bag onto the floor next to my bed. The room itself was pretty empty with nothing but a bed, a desk, a chair, and a coat rack. I didn't mind though. It was better than a few of the places I'd been sleeping. I plopped down on my bed with a 'thump' and looked over to find a picture hanging on the wall.

It was a forest covered in a dense fog and there wasn't much to see in it, except the dark shadow of a person who seemed to be disappearing into the silver mist. Sitting up, I peered closer at the picture and stared intently at the shadowed figure. It almost looked as though the person was looking back.

"Huh. Neat picture."

I took it down and searched for an artist's name, but found none and put it back as I decided to try and get more sleep than I had been getting. It's hard to sleep, after all, when you're constantly on watch.


End file.
